Toy loom



Feb. 18, 19410 J. c. BROOKS TOY LOOM Filed May 8, 1940 (gab/5 43 I 2 34lnvenror. \J hn C. Brooks WWW? A T'fys.

. I I 4 l I I 4 II Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNlT ED STATES PATENT OFFICETOY LOOM J 01m Brooks, Paterson, N. J.

Application May 8, 1940, Serial No. 333,882 2 Claims. (01.139-33) Thisinvention relates to toy looms and particularly to toy looms of the typeadapted for use in schools, kindergartens and also in the home toprovide both occupation and instruction in weaving for children.

One object of the invention is to provide a loom of this type which isequipped with two sets or groups of heddles and means for operating themin such a Way as to produce a plain o weave body fabric, and which is'also equipped with a plurality of additional heddles capable ofindependent operation and adapted to carry pattern warp threads, saidadditional independently operable heddles providing a simple means bywhich a pattern can be woven into the completed fabric.

In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have illustratedin the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now bedescribed, 29 after which the 'novel features will be pointed out in theappended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a loom embodying theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

.Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view showing the shedding mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the cloth roll.

30 In the drawing, l' indicates a loom frame which is herein shown as inthe form of an open-topped box-member having a bottom 2, side walls 3and 4, and end walls 5 and 6. As stated above, the

. loom embodies in its construction two groups or "sets of heddles,together with means for alternately raising and lowering the two sets toproduce warp sheds for the production of a body fabric, together with aseries of individual independently operable auxiliary heddles by which a40 pattern may be woven into the fabric.

The heddle mechanism for weaving the plain weave body fabric may haveany suitable or usual construction. As herein shown, the heddles of thetwo groups are indicated at 1 and 8 respec- 45 tively, each heddle ofthe group I being provided with a heddle eye 9, and each heddle of thegroup 8 being also provided with a similar heddle eye Ill. The warpthreads II for forming the body fabric are threaded through the heddleeyes 9 50 and ID, as usual in the looms adapted for plain or tabbyweaving.

In the construction shown, these heddles 1 and 8 are in the form ofcords which are attached to and carried by rollers l2 and I3 that arerotatably mounted in standards M rising from the side walls 3 and 4 ofthe frame I, the upper roller l2 being situated above the box-likeframe, and the 1 lower roller l3 being located within said frame.

The heddles 'l and 8 may be made as individual heddles or one of theheddles l and the adjacent heddle 8 may be made as a continuous cordwhich is looped about the rollers l2 and 13 in such a Way that the sidesof each loop cross each other between the rolls, as seen in Fig. 1. Eachloop is secured to the roll 12 'by means of a suitable fastener 4|.

In threading up the loom, the alternate warp threads II are threadedthrough the heddle eyes 9 of the heddles I and the remaining warpthreads II are threaded through the heddle eyes l5 H] of the heddles 8.

Means are provided for turning the roller I2 thereby to produce warpsheds. When the rollers are in the position shown'in Fig. 1, the heddleeyes 9 of the heddles I are in raised position, and the heddle eyes I0of the heddles 8 are in lowered position. A rotation of the roller [2counterclockwise through 180 will shift the heddles so as to bring theheddle eyes H! of the heddles 8 into raised position, and the heddleeyes 9 of the heddle 1 into lowered position, thereby to produce anothershed.

For thus operating the roller l2, the latter may be provided with a pin20 extending from the end thereof and which acts as a crank by which theroller can be turned. One of the uprights 14 is provided with stopshoulders 2i which cooperate with the pin to limit the turning movementof the roller 12. A spring 22 connected at one end I to said pin and theother end to the loom frame serves to hold the roller I2 yieldingly ineither of its two positions.

The warp threads I I are shown as being wound on a warp beam 42 which iscarried in brackets 'manipulated shuttle, and the filling may be beatenup in any approved way as by means of an ordinary comb.

The structure as thus far described is adapted to weave a plainfoundation fabric. To provide for weaving a pattern in the fabric, Ipropose to employ a plurality of independent auxiliary heddle elements23 arranged in a. single row extending across the loom, each auxiliaryheddle having a heddle eye 24 to receive one of the pattern warp threads25. Any desired number of these auxiliary heddles 23 may be employed andI have herein shown them as situated in front of the rollers l2 and IS.The lower ends 26 of the auxiliary heddles 23 are received between andare guided by two upright walls 21, 28, that extend across the box-likeframe I from one side wall 3 to the other side wall 4. The heddlemembers 23 preferably extend somewhat above the upper roller 12, andeach heddle is provided at its upper end with a finger piece 29 by whichit may be lifted. When any auxiliary heddle 23 is in its loweredposition, resting against the bottom 2 of the box-like frame i, thecorresponding pattern warp thread 25 will be in lowered position and inthe lower half of the warp shed which is formed by operation of therollers l2 and I3.

Each heddle 23 can be raised individually into an elevated position,thereby to carry its pattern warp thread 25 into the upper half of thewarp shed. Each heddle 23 is provided on its rear face with a recess 30which provides a hook portion 3|, and extending across the frame abovethe latter is a supporting bar 32 on to which the hook 3! of any heddle23 may be hooked to hold said heddle in raised position. This bar 32 isshown as supported by uprights 33 situated at the sides of the loomframe.

In operating the device, the roller I2 is first turned in one directionand then in the other, thereby to form successive warp sheds in the bodywarp threads II, a pick of filling being inserted into each shed asusual in weaving. To produce a pattern in the fabric, the auxiliaryheddles 23 are selectively raised at proper times and hooked onto thebar 32, thereby bringing selected pattern warp threads 25 into the upperhalf of the shed. One or more of the auxiliary heddles 23 may be raisedfor each pick or for certain selected picks, depending on the characterof the pattern which is to be woven in the fabric. So long as theauxiliary heddles 23 are in their lowered position, the pattern warpthreads will lie along the under face of the fabric, and whenever thepattern' calls for any of the pattern warp threads 25 to appear on theupper face of the fabric, then the corresponding heddle or heddles 23will be raised and hooked onto the bar 32 for one or more picks,depending upon the character of the pattern.

By thus employing a plurality of auxiliary heddles 23, each of which canbe independently raised and lowered, it is possible to weave a widevariety of designs into the fabric.

The lower ends 23 of the heddles 23 fit freely in the space between thevertical walls 21, 28, and to provide for the rearward movement of eachheddle 23 necessary to hook it over the bar 32, the lower front cornerof each heddle 23 is cut away or chamfered, as shown at 34.

The advantage of making the loom frame in the form of an open topped boxis that said box provides a compartment 39 in which a child may storevarious articles which he uses in connection with the operation of theloom. The guiding walls 21, 28, extend nearly to the upper edge of thebox-like frame and thus prevent any articles from accidentally gettinginto the space between said walls and interfering with the completelowering movement of the heddles 23.

Any desired number of heddles l and 8 may be employed, and the loom maybe set up so that there will be a plurality of body warp threads I Ibetween each two adjacent heddle elements 23.

Although I have shown one form of heddle mechanism for manipulating thebody warp threads H to form the body fabric, yet I wish it understoodthat other known heddle mechanism may be used for this purpose withoutdeparting from the invention.

I claim:

1. A toy loom comprising a loom frame, two sets of heddles carrying bodywarp threads, means for raising the sets of heddles alternately to formwarp sheds for weaving the body fabric, a plurality of independentindividual auxiliary heddles situated in front of the two sets ofheddles, each auxiliary heddle carrying a pattern warp thread, two guidewalls extending across the loom frame and between which the lower endsof the auxiliary heddles are received and by which they are guided, eachauxiliary heddle having a hook portion, and a supporting bar extendingacross the loom and over which the hook portion of any individualauxiliary heddle may be hooked, thereby to support said heddle in raisedposition.

2. A toy loom comprising a loom frame, two sets of heddles carrying bodywarp threads, means to raise the sets of heddles alternately to formwarp sheds for. weaving a plain fabric, a plurality of separateindividual auxiliary heddles situated in front of the two sets ofheddles, each auxiliary heddle carrying a pattern warp thread and havinga hook portion on its rear side above the pattern warp thread carriedthereby, each auxiliary heddle being capable of being manually operatedto raise or lower its pattern warp thread independently of any otherauxiliary heddle and also independently of the sets of heddles, aheddlesupporting bar extending across the loom between the auxiliaryheddles and the two sets of heddles, means for supporting said barpermanently in fixed position, whereby at the formation of each shed,any desired auxiliary heddle can be selectively raised at will by theoperator and hooked over said bar, thereby carrying its pattern warpthread into the upper half of the shed, and means acting on the lowerends of the auxiliary heddles for guiding them in their rising andfalling movement.

JOHN C. BROOKS.

